Automatic clock-calendar



Oct. 4, 1966 v BARBERA 3,276,198

\ AUTOMATIC CLOCK-CALENDAR Filed Aug. 26, 1964 630" in. Y

LIED, I'H U. l.

INVENTOR.

FY Foaayrfl 544 4 United States Patent 3,276,198 AUTOMATIC CLOCK-CALENDAR Robert A. Barbera, 517 West St., Reading, Mass. Filed Aug. 26, 1964, Ser. No. 392,138 6 Claims. (Cl. 58-4) This invention relates in general to a combination clock and calendar and in particular to a clock-calendar which automatically indicates both the time of day and the day of each month requiring setting only once a month.

The major purpose of this invention is to provide a very simple automatic device for indicating both the day of the month as well as the time of the day.

It is a further purpose of this invention to indicate the day of the month by lighting up the day on a monthly calendar display so that the calendar for an entire month may be viewed at the same time that the particular day of the month is automatically lit up.

The purposes of this invention are achieved, in brief, by a synchronous motor device which operate off a ixty cycle line to rotate a time display disc once a day. On the same motor shaft is located a circular cam that has a single notch. A cam follower rides on the cam and is connected to a snap-action switch which in turn operates a solenoid. Once a day the cam follower rides into the notch thereby energizing a solenoid. The solenoid then operates a ratchet which ratchet, in turn, steps a wiper arm around the series of contacts to light in sequence individual lamps which are located behind a translucent calendar panel. Thus, once a day, the notch on the cam operates the switch which operates the solenoid and steps the wiper arm by one contact to light up the next successive lamp. Each successive lamp is in a separate cubicle behind a separate date so that each step of the wiper arm lights a separate day on the calendar panel.

Other objects and purposes of this invention will become obvious from the following detailed description and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of the clock-calendar of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective mechanical blow-up of the FIG. 1 calendar; and

FIG. 3 is an electrical-mechanical schematic of the arrangement for advancing the lamp that is lit once each day.

The clock-calendar of this invention will appear, as in FIG. 1, with a calendar portion 12 and a clock face portion 14, all mounted on a stand 16. The calendar portion 12 includes a frame 17 which holds a replaceable translucent date mask 18. The date mask 18 is replaced at the beginning of each month and the lamp set to light the first date of the month at its appropriate position. That is all that need be done. The rest of the operation of the clock-calendar 10 is automatic.

As may be seen in FIG. 2, the translucent date mask 18 is backed up by a thirty-seven lamp rack 20; the rack 20 being constituted by six rows of seven cubicles. Each lamp 22 is placed in a separate cubicle so that when it is lit only the corresponding date panel directly in front of it will be lit. Six rows of lamps are employed because the arrangement of the calendar during certain months may require the use of date panels in siX rows such as is true for the month of May 1964 as shown in FIG. 1. The longest month has thirty-one days and the date on which the first day of the month can fall can only be displaced, at the most, by six additional places. Thus the total number of lamps needed is only thirty-seven. In effect, it is only when the first day of the month falls on either a Friday or a Saturday that a thirty-one day month will have one or two days in the sixth row. Ac-

3,276,198 Patented Oct. 4, 1966 cordingly, the last five cubicles in the sixth row need not include a lamp.

Each lamp 22 is connected to a separate contact on a thirty-seven contact rotary switch 26. The wiper arm 28 connects one contact 24 at a time to a common terminal 30 at which power is fed into the unit. Thus if the wiper arm 28 were on the contact 241', power would be fed from the terminal 30 through the wiper arm 28 and the contact 24i to the lamp 221' to light the date panel which represents the 20th of December on the calendar mask 18 shown in FIG. 2.

The wiper arm 28 is stepped around the various con tacts 24 by a ratchet 32 and pawl 34 arrangement. The ratchet 32 is a thirty-seven tooth ratchet and the pawl 34 is conveniently made part of the normally raised solenoid armatu-re 36. Thus whenever the solenoid coil 38 is energized, the armature 36 will be pulled down and the pawl 34 will index the ratchet 32 one step so that the wiper arm 28 is indexed by one contact.

A spring loaded push button 40 is provided to permit manually indexing the wiper arm 28. The manual indexing is required whenever the monthly date masks are changed. The button 40 permits manually advancing the wiper arm 28 to whatever position is required for the appropriate lamp 22 to light directly behind the first date of the new monthly date mask 18.

The solenoid coil 38 is normally not energized and thus all that is needed for the ratchet 32 and pawl 34 mechanism to operate is a means for energizing the coil once a day so as to index the wiper arm 28 once a day and thus light the lamp 22 behind the appropriate date. The appropriate indexing is automatically achieved throughout the month by means of a simple cam 42 which is mounted on the same shaft as is the clock face 44. Both cam 42 and clock face 44 are rotated through one complete revolution each day by the motor 46. This motor 46 may be a synchronous motor very similar to the ones employed in the typical electrical clock and may be geared to the shaft 48 in much the same fashion as it is geared to the hour hand in the typical electrical clock, which hour hand rotates twice a day. All that is necessary in this invention is to establish a motor 46 to shaft 48 arrangement such that the clock face 44 rotates once a day.

A notch 50 in the cam 42 is positioned so that the actuating arm 52 on the normally open snap-action switch 54 rides into the notch 50 at exactly midnight. When the actuating arm 52 rides into the notch 50, the contacts 56, 57 in the switch 54 are closed so that power from the line is passed through the switch 54 to the solenoid coil 38 thereby indexing the wiper arm 28 one step. As soon as the actuating arm 52 rides out of the notch 50, the switch 54 opens, power is removed from the solenoid coil 38 and the pawl 34 returns to its normal position.

The operation just described is shown in electrical schematic form in FIG. 3. Lines 60, 61 from a source of power lead through the normally open switch- 54 to the solenoid coil 38. When the notch 50 on the cam 42 is in the position shown in FIG. 3,-the actuating arm 52 will close the normally open switch 54 so that the condition shown in FIG. 3 will obtain and power will be supplied to the solenoid coil 38. The energized solenoid 38 causes the pawl 34 to travel downwardly (as seen in FIG. 3) and index the thirty-seven tooth ratchet 32 by one tooth. Since the ratchet 32 and wiper arm 28 are mounted on the same shaft, the wiper arm 28 indexes the corresponding amount to bring power to the lamp 22 behind the next succeeding date panel.

The arrangement described permits a very simple combination clock-calendar that automatically tells both time and date throughout the month once it has been set. The

device need be set only once a month. It provides a combination. clock-calendar in which the entire month may be displayed while the particular date of the month is illuminated. By the use of separate contacts 24 connected to separate lamps 22 (ea-ch lamp 22 being in a separate cubicle in the rack 20), one and only one date is illuminated so that the-re is an unambiguous indication of the date of the month.

It is convenient to arrange the clock face 14 behind the calendar frame 17 so that only a portion of the clock face 14 shows at a time. By means of a pointer 60 the time can be read as well as the date of the month and both can be read at a glance.

For convenience, the date mask 18 can be a separate item from the strip which indicates the month. The arrangements of dates within each month will vary from year to year and the number of panels 18 necessary can be reduced by having an interchangeable label indicating the month separate from the interchangeable translucent date panel 18.

A standard slip clutch may be incorporated in the motor shaft 48 so that the cam 44 and clock face 14- can be moved manually even while the power is on. This would be desirable as a protective feature and for convenience in adjusting the clock face 14 whenever power has been removed from the entire item for some period of time. However, the arrangement described is such that it normally will not be necessary to adjust the clock face 14 when a new monthly panel is inserted.

One specific embodiment of the invention has been described in detail and certain variations indicated. Other variations in details will be obvious to those skilled in this art. It shall be understood that the following claims encompass such variations and are directed to the combination that constitutes the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An automatic calendar comprising:

a rack of lamps including a separate enclosure for each lamp, each one of said enclosures having an open front face,

a translucent calendar panel for a month having each date of said month separately set out and visible from the face of said panel whether illuminated from the rear or not, said panel being flush against said open faces of said enclosures, whereby a separate one of said lamps is located behind each one of said dates of said panel and whereby the lighting of a given lamp will illuminate solely the date and the translucent.

portion of the panel therearound which is flush with the cubicle containing said given lamp, and

means for lighting said lamps individually and in sequence.

2. An automatic calendar comprising:

a translucent calendar panel for a month having each date of said month separately set out and visible from the face of said panel whether illuminated from the rear or not,

a rack of lamps behind said calendar panel, each date of said month having a separate one of said lamps positioned behind it and adapted to illuminate said date and the surrounding translucent portion of the panel only,

first switch means for lighting each one of said lamps individually and in sequence,

stepping means for stepping said first switch means once a day,

acam,

means for rotating said cam once a day, and

second switch means operable by said cam and coupled to said stepping means to actuate said stepping means once for each rotation of said cam,

whereby the daily rotation of said cam will operate said second switch means once a day and thus actuate 4 said stepping means to step said first switch means and light the next successive lamp once each day.

3. An automatic clock-calendar comprising:

a translucent calendar panel for a month having each date of said month separately set out and visible from the face of said panel whether illuminated from the rear or not,

a rack of lamps behind said calendar panel, each date of said month having a separate one of said lamps positioned behind it and adapted to illuminate said date and the surrounding translucent portion of the panel only,

first switch means for lighting each one of said lamps individually and in sequence,

stepping means for stepping said first switch means once a day,

a clock face,

means for rotating said clock face once a day, and

second switch means responsive to the midnight position of said clock face and coupled to said stepping means to actuate said stepping means once for each midnight position of said clock face,

whereby the daily rotation of said clock face will operate said second switch means once a day and thus actuate said stepping means to step said first switch means and light the next successive lamp once each day at the midnight position of said clock face.

4. An automatic clock-calendar comprising:

a translucent calendar panel for a month having each date of said month separately set out and visible from the face of said panel whether illuminated from the rear or not,

a rack of lamps behind said calendar panel, there being at least thirty-seven lamps, each of said lamps being set in a separate cubicle and positioned so that each date of said month and the surrounding translucent portion of the panel only is illuminable by a separate onelof said lamps,

first switch means for lighting each one of said lamps individually and in sequence,

stepping means for stepping said first switch means once a day,

a clock face,

motor means for rotating said clock face once a day,

cam means connected to said clock face to rotate once a day, and a second switch means operable by said cam means and coupled to said stepping means to actuate said stepping means once for each rotation of said cam means,

whereby the daily rotation of said cam means will operate said switch means once a day and thus actuate said stepping means to step said switch means and light the next successive lamp once each day.

5. An automatic clock-calendar comprising:

a clock face,

motor means to rotate said clock face once a day,

a replaceable translucent calendar panel for a month having each date of said month separately set out and visible from the face of said panel whether illuminated from the rear or not,

an array of lamps positioned behind said calendar panel, each one of said lamps being in a separate cubicle and positioned so that each date of said month and the surrounding translucent portion of the panel only is illuminable by a separate one of said lamps,

a multi-position contact switch having a wiper arm and as many contacts as the-re are lamps, each one of said contacts being connected to a separate one of said lamps and said wiper arm being connected to a source of power whereby the indexing of said wiper arm to any one of said contacts will cause the corresponding one of said lamps to light,

5 6 a ratchet and pawl arrangement, said ratchet being 6. The invention of claim 5 wherein said array of connected to said wiper ar-rn, whereby the actuation lamps comprises thirty-seven lamps arranged in five rows of said pawl will cause said wiper arm to index to of seven lamps each and a sixth row of two lamps. the next succeeding one of said contacts, solenoid means connected to said pawl to actuate said 5 References Cited y the Examine! pawl when said solenoid means is energized, UNITED STATES PATENTS a normally open switch connecting said solenoid to a source of electrical power, and 2 X7 3??? a cam connected to said clock face to rotate once a 5/1957 N 4O:1O7

day, said cam being set to close said normally open 10 o e switch at one position during each rotation of said FOREIGN PATENTS 719,524 12/ 1954 Great Britain.

whereby the daily rotation of said cam will close said normally open switch to energize said solenoid and RICHARD WILKINSON, Primary Examiner actuate said pawl thereby indexing said ratchet and 15 wiper arm once a day to light the next successive LEO SMILOW Exammer' lamp each day. G. F. BAKER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN AUTOMATIC CALENDAR COMPRISING: A RACK OF LAMPS INCLUDING A SEPARATE ENCLOSURE FOR EACH LAMP, EACH ONE OF SAID ENCLOSURE HAVING AN OPEN FRONT FACE, A TRANSLUCENT CALENDAR PANEL FOR A MONTH HAVING EACH DATE OF SAID MONTH SEPARATELY SET OUT AND VISIBLE FROM THE FACE OF SAID PANEL WHETHER ILLUMINATED FROM THE REAR OR NOT, SAID PANEL BEING FLUSH AGAINST SAID OPEN FACES OF SAID ENCLOSURES, WHEREBY A SEPARATE ONE OF SAID LAMPS IS LOCATED BEHIND EACH ONE OF SAID DATES OF SAID PANEL AND WHEREBY THE LIGHTING OF A GIVEN LAMP WILL ILLUMINATE SOLELY THE DATE AND THE TRANSLUCENT PORTION OF THE PANEL THEREAROUND WHICH IS FLUSH WITH THE CUBICLE CONTAINING SAID GIVEN LAMP, AND MEANS FOR LIGHTING SAID LAMPS INDIVIDUALLY AND IN SECQUENCE. 